Poll: Taveras approval at 47% in Prov.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Providence Mayor Angel Taveras has a 47% approval rating among voters in the capital city, with nearly half saying their opinion of the new mayor hasn't changed since he took office in January.

President Obama's approval rating in the mostly Democratic city stands at 56%, higher than the mayor's. They were the only two politicians whose individual job performances were studied.

The telephone poll of 435 registered voters in Providence was conducted Sept. 16 to 23 by Brown University's Taubman Center. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus about 4.7 percentage points.

Taveras' approval rating was 52% in a March poll by the university that surveyed voters across Rhode Island rather than just in Providence.

Providence voters are more positive about their personal finances than the city's economy, with 86% saying the city's economy is not so good or poor but 47% saying their own situation has improved compared with a year ago.

More than half of Providence voters - 56% - said they disagreed or strongly disagreed with Taveras' decision to close four public schools to save an estimated $12 million.

But voters were generally satisfied with city services, particularly fire and ambulance service (89% satisfied or very satisfied) and trash collection (79%). They were least satisfied with road upkeep (26%) and their local schools (38%).

Two-thirds of voters said they've heard little or nothing about the push to turn the Jewelry District into a new "Knowledge District" focused on life sciences, but 68% said it sounded like a good idea when they learned more about it. Voters were evenly split on whether it should be called "the Jewelry District" or "the Knowledge District."

Ted Nesi ( tnesi@wpri.com ) covers politics and the economy for WPRI.com and writes the Nesi's Notes blog. Follow him on Twitter: @tednesi